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briangroth27 · 6 years ago

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Mini-Reviews: Ralph Breaks the Internet & The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

I’ve gotten behind on reviewing movies I wrote down thoughts on but never posted, so here’s some quick thoughts on some not-so-recent releases.

Full Spoilers for both of these films…

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Ralph Breaks the Internet is a fun, solid, enjoyable film with a strong message about friendship (and its limits)! I didn’t think Wreck-it Ralph needed a sequel and this doesn’t quite reach the highs of the first film, but it proved itself worthwhile and I was pleasantly surprised when it took things in a completely different direction by inverting Ralph’s (John C. Reilly) goals. Instead of trying to belong with the other denizens of his game by proving that he can be a hero, here Ralph becomes the villain by fighting to keep things the way they are with Vanellope (Sarah Silverman). I liked how big her role was here and I was rooting for her to move past the confines of Sugar Rush, since she’d outgrown it and needed to keep developing.

The marketing made it look like this would mainly be focused on internet gags and Disney IP mashups, and while most of that worked (especially the Disney Princess crossovers and Ralph’s attempts to go viral!), the character work between Ralph and Vanellope was much deeper than I was expecting. That aspect formed the emotional core of the movie and was by far the standout element of the film. The idea of a friendship turning toxic and possessive here was well-explored and definitely a story worth telling. Ralph absolutely goes too far—to the point where he nearly accidentally gets Vanellope deleted to keep her with him—and I’m glad the movie didn’t let that slide or write it off as not a big deal. Gal Godot’s Shank character was also a cool addition and I really enjoyed the effect she had on Vanellope while becoming a rival for Ralph.

I was definitely sorry to see Fix-it Felix Jr. (Jack McBrayer) and Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch) get next to no screen time here, as they were both standouts in the first film. The subplot about them being new parents was fun, but I would’ve rather seen them join Ralph and Vanellope in the internet (and they could’ve still done babysitting jokes while they tried to help Ralph). Their reactions to the internet would’ve provided a greater range of jokes than just Ralph and Vanellope’s did, and their absence was the biggest negative for me and the thing that felt the most off about this sequel.

I thought the first movie could’ve explored more styles of video games and I kinda have the same feeling about the internet here, but ultimately the acting, humor, and character development in both films won out. If there’s a third one, I’d like them to explore the relationship between the video game characters and the people in the real world: I’m satisfied with the explanation that it’s just their job to play the game along with the players, but I wonder if there’s something more to explore there. Whether we get Ralph 3 or not, Ralph Breaks the Internet is definitely worth watching, worth learning from in terms of its message of healthily letting the people closest to you move forward (even without you), and is another really good entry into this franchise!

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

While not quite as novel as the first LEGO Movie or The LEGO Batman Movie, this sequel was definitely a worthy follow-up! The change in scenery to a Mad Max-inspired LEGO wasteland was fun and it was nice to revisit this offbeat cast of characters. Expanding the universe from Bricksburg to the “Systar System” was a fun way to bring in a variety of new characters and environments, keeping things fresh. The constant threat of “Armamageddon” was a solid end-of-the-world plot that touched on Toy Story-esque ideas while feeling fresh and specific to this franchise. It also pulled the real world and the LEGO realm together nicely, feeling like something kids’ imaginations would come up with under parental disciplinary threats.

I was very happy to see The Second Part deal with what I always thought was the first film undercutting its own message in its final seconds: The LEGO Movie established that anyone could play and everyone’s ideas/imagination were valid, only to add that this did not apply to the little sister in the family, since her Duplo blocks’ arrival in Bricksburg was treated like a terrifying invasion. While that’s an outlook a lot of brothers have when they’re young, the first movie played it as a joke at the last second, making it the final word and that always sat wrong with me. Here, that becomes the entire premise and the reveal that her attempt to play with her big brother got her vilified and turned into the “villain” was an excellent commentary on toxic masculinity. Rex Dangervest (Chris Pratt) continued that trend, embodying a super-masculine parody of Chris Pratt’s roles in the MCU and Jurassic World franchises to hilarious effect. I’m glad the movie showed us he was the real villain and that Emmett’s regular personality was the healthier one, rather than supporting the “cooler” Dangervest. Rex being left under the dryer was a clever parallel to the complaints that white male audiences are being “left behind�� as more women and minorities take the center stage in movies like Star Wars and the MCU (though while Emmet/Rex was literally left behind, those complaints are vast overreactions…there are still hundreds of male protagonists out there). Rex turning Emmet into a more “badass” action hero like himself is also a cool way to use the time travel aspect to depict toxic masculinity infecting even the kindest of hearts. Rex’s plan to trigger Armamageddon also felt a lot like these angry fans crying that their favorite franchises have been ruined and are “over,” trying to cancel what they previously loved (or freeze it in amber…or a storage tub) so no one can have these characters if they aren’t the center of things.

WyldStyle (Elizabeth Banks) was awesome as always and I liked that she got to see the real world as well this time. That she was the one to figure out what was really going on was a nice beat too, especially since it was pointed out that she did a lot of the work in the first film but Emmet got the credit. Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi (Tiffany Haddish) was a great “villain” & I liked how they animated her shape-shifting. Her relationship with Batman (Will Arnett) worked really well for me & felt like the sort of thing a little sister would do with her brother’s action figures. I think it’s important that Batman and Whatevra still get married after Finn (Jadon Sand, Graham Miller) and Bianca (Brooklynn Prince) patched things up: ultra-cool Batman—who could easily be another bastion of toxic masculinity—doesn’t settle down just because he’s been captured and forced to, but gets married after the sibling rift is mended and the toxic anger Rex was manifesting (from Finn) is gone. The blended LEGO world of Bricksburg and the Systar System—Syspocalypstar—was a cool mix of the siblings’ personalities and a great message that we can still make room for each other in our lives, imaginations, and fandoms.

The songs are catchy and fun, the animation is great, and the pacing is brisk. It didn’t feel like they relied on cameos from other IPs in this movie (even Batman’s reduced role works better now that he’s had his own movie where he can be the focus) and the message is solid. I’m not sure where they go from here, but I would definitely watch another LEGO Movie! Until then, check The Second Part out!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

#ralph wrecks the internet #the lego movie 2

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